Change the Game

Workshop

For a deep dive into the book’s content, author Lucas Simons is available for a half-day workshop. During the workshop, your company’s sustainability strategy is analyzed and interactively translated into a winning strategy. Ideally the workshop is attended by around 10-15 people. A copy of Changing the Food Game is reserved for each participant.

NewForesight Consultancy

NewForesight has contributed to sustainable market transformations in agricultural sectors such as coffee, cocoa, sugar cane, floriculture, aquaculture and cotton. Clients have been, among others, the International Finance Corporation, World Cocoa Foundation, IDH – the sustainable trade initiative, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and major multinationals as Unilever and Mars, Inc.

Intelligence - theory and models on sustainable market transformation

NewForesight offers an expert body of knowledge and can contribute with specific research to analyze the sustainability challenge in your sector. A program evaluation, market research and/or trends analysis contributes to a sound basis for a tailored theory of change on sustainable development within your sector. NewForesight can do this preparatory work and make sure your sustainability strategy is founded on a firm base.

In an assignment for IFC, IDH, SECO and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NewForesight, together with Aidenvironment and IIED, undertook a study that reviewed the current state of sustainability in agriculture, with a focus on standards. Extensive desk and field research led to a model that lays out a variety of sustainability tools that enable a transition towards sustainable agriculture. The transition model includes VSS as being one of the potential tools. A report was published titled “Building a roadmap to sustainability in agro-commodity production”.

Strategy development - sustainability strategies

NewForesight envisions what sustainability looks like in your sector and develops the strategy, roadmaps and programs that lead up to the desired end state. An ambitious and achievable sector transformation must be underpinned by a strong vision and strategy. By analyzing the dynamics and relationships of complex systems NewForesight is able to identify the mechanisms, barriers and opportunities within them. This analysis is followed by intervention strategies that define timeline, actions and milestones towards your sustainability goal.

Under assignment of the World Cocoa Foundation NewForesight technically facilitated the Cocoa Action strategy. CocoaAction aligns and coordinates the sustainability efforts of eleven of the world’s largest cocoa and chocolate companies. Productivity and community development interventions have been agreed upon, targeting smallholder farmers in Ghana and Ivory Coast (together responsible for 55% of the world’s cocoa production). CocoaAction’s vision is a rejuvenated and economically viable cocoa sector by 2020 that can compete with alternative crops and provide increased opportunities to cocoa farmers and their communities in Ghana and Ivory Coast.

Stakeholder Alignment - convening and aligning stakeholders

NewForesight brings together relevant stakeholders and facilitate the development of a shared vision and strategy. The sustainable transformation of a sector is impossible to attain through individual stakeholder initiatives. Key stakeholders from industry, public sector, and society must all be aligned on and take part in one overarching strategy in order to realize systemic change. All stakeholders relevant for sustainability in your sector are convened and helped in getting on the same page. NewForesight hears their concerns and understands their priorities.

Commissioned by IDH-The Sustainable Trade Initiative, NewForesight facilitated the establishment of the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative. This initiative was founded to benchmark cut flower standards and promote sector sustainability. NewForesight assisted with a sound business plan, a tool for the comparison of flower standards, and governance and working structures. With these, the stakeholders in the floriculture business aligned on pre-competitive issues to jointly work towards sector sustainability. A milestone was reached in February 2015 when over fifty industry leaders (growers, traders and retailers) committed to 90% responsibly sourced flowers and pot plants by 2020.

Implementation - enabling of change processes

NewForesight assists key stakeholders in implementation and conduct evaluations for continuous improvement. Implementing a sustainable market transformation involves an elaborate toolbox. NewForesight can develop the necessary tools to put your sustainability strategy into practice. Tools include certification mechanisms, traceability systems and extension service delivery models, but also implementation manuals, Q&A´s and business models. In addition, NewForesight can help you design appropriate governance and organizational structures, including monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

For Bonsucro, a global non-profit, multi-stakeholder initiative aimed at improving the sustainability of the sugarcane production, NewForesight developed a traceability strategy for their certified sugarcane. Part of the strategy was the use of credit trading, allowing mills to sell their quotas independently of any physical shipment. To control the sale and purchase of credits, Bonsucro asked NewForesight to develop a Credit Trading System. For this purpose, first the rules and technical requirements of the system were defined in close collaboration with Bonsucro members throughout the supply chain, after which NewForesight built the Central Database incorporating all details agreed upon.

The sequel: Changing the Game

NewForesight Consultancy and Nyenrode Business University are developing a sequel to Changing the Food Game on sustainable market transformation across different sectors, to be published by Taylor & Francis. Respected sector experts will contribute as co-authors to this book. It is expected to be published in March 2019. Do you have recommendations for this publication or do you want to contribute?